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So Oliver has done really well with the potty training. Do we even still call it that? Almost three weeks in and I have to say I miss diapers. I know it is a huge milestone, especially towards independence and big kid-ness. But to be honest, it’s A LOT of work.

I guess I romanticized potty training in my head. I imagined that he would be going on his own with no supervision. That he would just do his business like you and I, and it would be no big deal. But the truth of the matter is that he still needs to be constantly reminded to go to the potty because Lego is soooooooooo much cooler than sitting on the potty. He still needs to have an adult wipe his bum. We need to make sure someone gets him to the potty as soon as he wakes up or he will just pee in the bed because he doesn’t know how to open his bedroom door to get to the bathroom. And he monopolizes our only bathroom as if he were a teenage girl.

I guess it doesn’t sound so bad, and in the long run we don’t have a college-age child in a diaper. But it’s more work than I thought, especially when you put an infant into the mix. One day I won’t have to worry about bowel movements–and that day will be GLORIOUS!

Like this:

So we started potty training my son earlier this week. Day 5 in and I am pretty confident that we have a fairly well trained toddler. It makes me wonder why I ever feared potty training. I know the biggest drawback of potty training back in SF is that our house has wall to wall carpet (weird, I know). So I waited to potty train him here in VA at my parents’ house since we are here for 3 weeks and have their hardwood floors. There are accidents, and the first two days there were a lot. But now the accidents are mostly because my son forgets to point his penis down. Poop was also a big barrier, and it almost made me want to can the training on Day 2. But we got over it, and now he’s back to pooping twice a day in the pot. We’ve also adventured outside and he’s used the public restroom a few times (which is HUGE since I hate hate hate public restrooms). He’s also good about nap time and night time, so no diapers there.

I guess the biggest take away from this is that you should never under estimate the intelligence of your young tot. I honestly didn’t think he would get it, that he wouldn’t be able to pull down his pants and all that jazz. But on Day 3 we hit a turning point, and he just gets it. He will stop whatever he is doing and announce he has to pee and races to his potty. When I gave him underwear for the first time yesterday he looked at it and said, “No mommy. No diaper.” He’s a smarty!

I should have potty trained him earlier, before the baby cause it would have been a lot easier. But at least I have the support of my family here to keep an eye out for him to make sure he’s successful at using the potty. But honestly a lot of it has to do with the fact that my son is a lot smarter than I thought, and that is why this experience hasn’t been as terrible as I thought it would be. Thank goodness!

Also, if you are wondering if there were any books or pieces of advice to share… just download the e-book Oh Crap. Potty Training. There’s a lot of fluff, but when you get to the heart of the training it was really helpful and worked well for us. And I see how proud my son is now that he is a big boy!